Follow Me Down
by dreadpirateemily
Summary: Willow and Buffy meltdown after season finale


Title: Follow Me Down  
By Dread Pirate Emily  
Email: dreadpirateemily@yahoo.com  
Feedback welcome  
Rating: PG  
  
***WARNING*** SPOILERS AND RUMORS ABOUND***  
  
Follow Me Down  
  
  
Xander rushed past the "For Sale" sign in the front yard and burst into the living room,   
dropping bags, and going back for more. Anya pulled a tape gun out of a bag and read off   
of the label, "Tape Gun. Wouldn't it be easier to just cut it?" Giles, attempting to pick   
up a box, pulled out stitches and was helped to the couch by Xander. "Here," said Xander,  
handing Giles the phone and a paper. "Why don't you start calling around for an apartment   
for Buffy?" Giles, pale and sweaty, started combing through the classifieds, mumbling,  
"...cozy bungalow, walk to work!....doesn't anyone just put in the square footage anymore?"  
Xander backed the truck up in the driveway and started to load boxes.   
  
Buffy carried a box down the stairs and dropped it halfway down. The box marked "Fragile"   
tumbled down into the foyer. Anya put her hand on Buffy's shoulder as she gave the tired   
slayer a bottle of water, "Changing your whole life makes you thirsty!" She looked around  
to gauge the reaction. She had been practicing soothing tones.   
  
Buffy trudged back up the stairs and stared at Dawn's bedroom door. She was stuck. Tara   
came up behind her, "We could go in together." Buffy stared straight ahead and nodded.   
Tara opened the door. Buffy closed her eyes and walked away. It had turned back into the   
storage area for her mom's museum pieces. Tara proceeded to start packing it up.   
  
Willow cried out, "dammit dammit!" as she cut her hand on a knife. She was trying to make   
sandwiches and was spreading the peanut butter with a steak knife. Couple of days ago, I   
did a spell that kept a God at bay and now I can't spread peanut butter, she thought. She  
sat on a stool and looked through the back window. I hate this. Nothing is right this time. Buffy didn't save the day. Dawn is gone. Tara is back, but different. I'm tired. I don't want to make sandwiches. I don't want to help. I want to lay down. I'm sick of helping. It's not better. Why isn't it better now?   
  
Tara unlocked the door to the dorm and made her way through more moving boxes to find the   
light. This time, they were Tara's things in the boxes. Willow rammed into a box by the   
closet, stopped, shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She was getting red and clinching   
her fists. Tara said, "honey?" but stopped when Willow didn't turn to her. Willow wanted to  
be alone, but couldn't ask Tara to stay somewhere else. Where would she go? She was so glad  
when Tara came back to her, but now she felt a burning in her ears and felt her teeth   
clench every time Tara said her name. The same voice that had soothed her and made her feel   
loved and complete was now so grating to her that she had to fake sleep to build up the  
reserves to hear it the next day.  
  
Tara screamed and woke up, soaked. She told Willow that she dreamt that she was back in the  
hole, dark, cold, wet, alone. She had reached for Willow, floating just above her, but when  
Willow reached down, her hand was a claw that severed Tara's hand at the wrist. Willow flew  
off with the hand between her teeth. Lightning bolts stitched their way across Willow's   
stomach as she listened. Tara leaned in her direction, but Willow turned to get out of the   
bed. She asked Tara if she wanted some water.  
  
Willow didn't hear Tara leave the next morning. There was a note to meet her at the magic   
shop that afternoon. Open already? Willow thought. She shoved more boxes aside so that she   
could find the aspirin in the cabinet. She spent the next hour standing at the closet door   
deciding what to wear.  
  
"How much?!" Giles said into the receiver, "...uh-huh, that includes utilities... well it   
bloody well should include shining my shoes." He hung up and crossed off another ad. He   
winced as he moved towards the coffee pot when Tara offered to get it for him. "Black right?"  
she said. "Yes, thank you," said Giles as he moved to the table and sat down. "You say   
she's distant?" he said as Tara sat beside him. "It's more than that, really. It's just...   
there's something wrong. She's mad. But more. She's, well..." "Darker," said Giles. Tara   
nodded, breathing harder, afraid of it being said out loud. "I've noticed it too. But with  
everything that's happened, we can hardly hold her responsible. If it weren't for her power  
, I fear we would not have lasted long against Glory." "That's what worries me," said Tara,  
"Her power was necessary. And so destructive. What if she doesn't have anything to fight?  
What if it just sits inside her?" "With no release," said Giles as he took off his glasses  
and looked towards the door.  
  
Buffy walked in. She was dressed in a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans, wearing a ponytail.   
She looked like a pale teenager. "What's up?" she took a seat at the table. Giles said,   
"It's Willow. We are concerned that the magick she called upon of late may be of danger to  
her now." Buffy's expression didn't change. Tara said, "I think she's really not herself.  
I mean, she seems really mad and upset." Buffy shrugged, "Well, why would she be (sarcastically)   
mad and upset?" We saved the world, didn't we? Well, she did really." Buffy got up and   
started pacing in front of the table. She pointed her fingers in the air. "Boom! Down goes   
Glory! Boom! Gotta save Buffy! Boom! Oops! Couldn't get to Dawn, but oh well, 2 out of 3,   
huh? Not bad.... Huh Buffy? Hey Buffy! Look at me! I saved the world... well, most of it   
anyway."   
  
Giles and Tara looked beyond Buffy to Willow, who had just walked in.Buffy looked at Willow,  
meeting her gaze, not backing down. Willow looked past Buffy to Tara and Giles. "Is this   
why you wanted me to meet you? So that we could go over how badly I play super hero?"   
"Actually," said Giles, "we wanted to talk to you about your magic... we are all very   
concerned..." "Concerned," said Willow. "Concerned. Buffy sounded full of concern. And   
worry. Lots of worry is what I heard. How about you, baby?" she turned to Tara, "Is that   
what you heard? Or were you too busy talking. Huh? Talking about me? Not to me, right? But  
about me? To Buffy?" Tara crossed her arms, "Willow, I..." "Stop. Just shut your mouth,"   
said Willow.  
  
"Why don't you shut yours?" said Buffy, inching towards Willow. "Perhaps we should move to   
the training room?" said Giles. "Fine." Buffy marched in, Willow close behind, welling  
tears of rage in her eyes. "What are you doing?" said Tara, "They can't fight! Buffy might  
hurt her before she knows what she's doing.... This isn't what's supposed to happen!"  
Giles turned to her, put his hands on her shoulders and murmured, "None of this was   
supposed to happen. But it did. And if we are to get either of them back, we must allow  
them to get this out. They are both spiralling out of control and I fear that they are   
closer to each other right now than they are to us." Giles and Tara jumped. A window   
shattered.  
  
The air was electrified. Literally. Giles and Tara could only watch from the door. The   
punching bag, torn from its chains, was thrown through the window and lay shredded by the   
broken burglar bars. Neither Tara nor Giles could tell who was responsible. "You can't   
keep doing this!" screamed Buffy. "You are out of control, Willow." "I wasn't so out of   
control when you had me cast spells and... and blast Glory. Now that it's over and you don't  
need me, I'm out of control and I have to stop because you say so, is that it?" She circled  
Buffy like boxer. "No," said Buffy, watching Willow, "not because I say so. Because it's  
over!" Buffy vaulted to the weight bench and threw the barbells across the room where they   
skidded to a halt at Willow's feet. "Because we won and it's over and we still don't have  
my sister! The world is safe. My sister is dead. So it's over." She looked at the floor.   
"So stop your magic before you hurt yourself." Buffy never raised her head.  
  
"Buffy, I tried..." pleaded Willow. "Stop.... Don't," said Buffy. "What don't?!" Willow   
approached. "I did try and it wasn't good enough. And now I'm supposed to stop trying   
because it wasn't good enough. So maybe if I stop doing magic, you won't have to be reminded  
of what a failure I am?" The floor started rolling, like lava. "So that you don't have to  
be reminded of what a substandard superhero I am compared to the great Buffy?!" Buffy ran  
to Willow and shook her hard, "I'm no hero! Do I look like a hero to you?" Willow lowered   
her head and jerked away from Buffy. "What do you want from me?" cried Buffy, " I ... have..  
nothing... left." She walked off and with a casual blow took the balance beam down.  
  
Willow, swung around and summoned the fencing swords off of the wall to block Buffy's path.  
"I was in your head, Buffy." "What do you want, a medal?!" screamed Buffy. "You did all   
the right and good things, Willow, you brought me back just in time to watch my sister die.  
Thanks for that."  
  
The swords dropped with a clang to the floor. "I don't want a medal, Buffy. I want you to   
stop saying stuff like what do you want, a medal? I know how you block it all out. I saw   
you when you were little, before you were the slayer, and you did it the same then. You   
just shut down. Tuned out." Willow approached Buffy softly. "But you came back, Buffy. You   
came back because there was someone you loved who needed you."  
  
"She's gone!" Buffy screamed, tears raging down her cheeks. "My family is dead, Willow.   
What am I gonna do?"  
  
The air went calm as Buffy collapsed into Willow's arms and let the witch hold her as she  
cried. Giles and Tara walked back into the shop and made a phone call.  
  
Xander hung up the phone and announced, "We're making dinner."   
  
Anya made her way around the living room, setting up the tv trays in front of each of their  
guests. Xander put plates down as Anya started serving. As she got to Tara, "No food for   
you. Might end up in my hair." Tara looked puzzled. "Now we all know what you were like  
when you were two. Sheesh!"   
  
Willow pointed her finger at Anya and started to chant, "Evil demon in female form, get thee  
back...." And then dropped the guise mid-chant. Everyone's shock turned to relief. Willow   
raised her arms in the air, "kidding, kidding."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
